When Google launched Google Play Movies in Uganda last year, we rightly thought that Google was simply taking a ride. That’s because there’s no way anyone in Uganda would rent a movie at UGX 25,000 ($13) without counting the cost of data. With the current data costs, that would come to a total of about Ugx 50,000. Clearly a bummer.
This is where Multichoice’s DStv comes in. The Pay TV provider last week launched a service it has dubbed “BoxOffice” that allows users to rent the latest blockbuster movies for as low as Ugx 6,000. But it’s not available to all DSTV customers. Only DStv customers with the Explora decoder can access the service.
DStv customers use the Explora decoder’s remote to access the BoxOffice Screen while a combination of features that make use QR Codes enable seamless payment. The first movie apparently is for Free according to DStv.
Now DStv’s solution won’t cost you extra data costs like Google’s Play Movies as long as you have an Explora decoder. Plus DStv’s BoxOffice works with your TV giving you that lean-back experience you would expect while watching a movie. Now unless you’ve Google’s Chromecast or an Android TV OS powered smart TV, you’ve to watch the Google Play movies on your smartphone or Tablet.
DSTV BoxOffice has been launched in other African countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Namibia.